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Summertime...and the livin' is easy,
Summertime...and the cotton is high.
Cole Porter
I'm not sure about the cotton, but I can tell you the corn
is doing very well. And I think the livin' is about to get
easier. So far the summer has been very
busy.
May was a very busy month with the end
of the school year. I went to many track meets and
other end of school activities. Over Memorial Day
Weekend, I had the extraordinary opportunity to co-
facilitate a retreat for six adult siblings. They wanted to
improve communication between them and set up a
plan for their aging parents. The retreat was at the
YMCA camp in Estes Park, one of my favorite places.
Then the weekend after Memorial Day, I took
my Girl Scout troop tent camping at Magic Sky Ranch,
which is almost to the Wyoming State Line. What a
great
weekend! We played games and the girls ran around
and yelled as much as they wanted to. We didn't see
much wildlife, at least not the four legged kind. I was
so pleased with the girls; they did a great job of
helping and did all the cooking and dishwashing.
They didn't even complain about the rain and
cold
As soon as Malaika and I got back, we
left for Wisconsin to celebrate my dad's surprise 80th
birthday. So I do indeed know that the corn is doing
well after driving through Nebraska, Iowa and
Wisconsin!
Yesterday was Father's Day. I
hope you celebrated in some way. Malaika and I took
Richard to breakfast and then let him go on a 50 mile
bike ride. I took Malaika to Woodland Park for a 6-day
Girl Scout horse camp. So it's oddly quite around our
house, but a welcome change.
I hope you
are having a great summer so far! Enjoy the week.
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Surprise!
The difference of one life.
My dad, Bob, is a simple guy. He finshed high school
and then went into the Army and was part of the
occupation of Germany after the Second World War.
When he left the Army, he came back to Wisconsin
and
found a job working in a factory. Bob met my mom
when they were both 45 and they dated for two years.
When they got married, it was Bob's first marriage.
Not
only did he marry Mom, but he also married four kids
and mother-in-law and a dog. That's a lot of love.
They spent the next 22 yeares together. Bob
became our dad. Of course, all the kids got married
and Mom and Bob were delighted to have
grandchildren.
When my mom was
diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehring's Disease) we
were devastated. Never once did Bob falter in his love
and caring for my mom. He was at her side the
moment she died, as were my sister and I. In the ten
years since Mom's death, Bob has remained
our "Dad" and "Grandpa" and has seen the great-
grandchild my mom never saw.
So when my
sister said we should give him a surprise party for this
80th birthday, how could we say no? Thus began
seven months of planning and secrecy to match the D-
day Invasion. On the day of the party, ironically June
6th, he still had no idea. The day was cold and rainy,
but that didn't spoil anything. Sixty people came to the
party. Now it is true that Bob is related to half of
Waukesha and Jeffereson Counties, but his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren came from
Texas and Colorado. Army buddies came from Ilinois
and Texas. My aunt's children came from Illinois and
Ohio. His brothers, nieces, nephews and their
families came. I saw people I hadn't seen for years.
It was an incredible event and he was totally
surprised. The look on his face was priceless.
When I talked to him yesterday, he said he
still couldn't believe it, that all those people came to
his party. And those who couldn't attend sent cards to
him. All for a simple, hard-working man who touched
many lives.
Not all of us will be famous or
rich. But never underestimate the impact you have on
the people around you. You make a difference just by
being the person you are. And you are loved for it.
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Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Why only once a year?
Traditionally, summer falls between Memorial Day
and Labor Day. It's full of parades, festivals, fireworks
and barbecues. But I don't think Memorial Day and
Labor Day should be remembered only once a year. I
have a lot of both days.
One of my first
Memorial Days was the day my sister was born. I was
almost 10 and had two brothers, but this was the first
time I really understood what was happening. And I
finally had a sister. Another Memorial Day was the day
our adoption of Malaika was finalized and her birth
certificate said I was her mother. Then there was
sitting with my dad and sister early in the morning,
holding my mom's hand as she took her last breath.
And a triumphant Memorial Day when I stood on top of
Pike's Peak after a 13.2 mile hike.
Then
there are Labor Days. For many, including me, that
means bringing
a child into the world and raising that child. For me,
it's getting an undergraduate and graduate degree. A
huge Labor Day was the day I passed my clinical
licensing test.
To me every day is Memorial
Day and Labor Day, because every memory and every
labor, good or bad, has brought me to this place and
this time. And it's all good.
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Grace and Peace,
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